Series / Doogie Howser, M.D.

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Doogie Howser, M.D. was a weekly half-hour comedy drama starring Neil Patrick Harris as Douglas "Doogie" Howser, a teenaged child prodigy who became the youngest practicing physician in the country. It ran from September 1989 to March 1993, and plotlines covered not only medical issues but also Howser's everyday teenager issues. Doogie's best friend, Vinnie, is a more typical teenager and helps keep Doogie grounded in life outside his profession.

The series enjoyed success on ABC for four seasons, taking home a People's Choice Award in 1990, and 3 consecutive Emmys for Best Sound Mixing. Harris also received a People's Choice Award and a Golden Globe nomination for his role. The brainchild of TV legends Steven Bochco (creator of Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue) and David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Boston Legal), the show was praised for its writing and characterization, but also just as equally mocked and criticized for its over-the-top premise (Harris later joked that this was the first show ever to be created on a dare). When the show ended, the specter of Doogie Howser haunted Harris' career for a long time, until he was able do some Adam Westing based on Doogie Howser MD in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and break out of the type-casting that the show saddled him with entirely through his role in How I Met Your Mother.

This Series Contains Examples Of:

Armor-Piercing Question: In "Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down," Katherine's father makes things difficult around the house because he's angry at her choices and that things didn't work out the way he wanted.

Doogie: Grandpa, it's Thanksgiving. Dad's probably got heartburn already, Mom's upset, and I volunteered to work. Is that what you call getting what you want?

Artistic License – Astronomy: In the episode where Doogie met Shannon, the amateur astronomer, they observed the moon during the day, and a lunar eclipse later that night. The moon should not be visible during the day on the day of a lunar eclipse, being that it's on the other side of the planet.

Bachelor Auction: Doogie gets self-conscious when he has to take part in one in "Nautilus For Naught."

Hospital Paradiso: Doogie turns down a gilded offer to work at a pediatric clinic on the grounds that he can do more good at the hospital.

Improbable Age: The premise of the show is a boy so precociously smart that he becomes a certified medical doctor at age 14. By the time the series begins (he's 16), he is already in his 2nd year of residency.

Kissing Warm-Up: Vinnie shows a 12-year-old female patient (who has a crush on Doogie) how to practice kissing by locking lips onto a window.

Never Lend to a Friend: Vinnie asks Doogie for some money, and at first Doogie refuses because of this trope. He ends up agreeing, but it doesn't cause any problems between them and it never gets mentioned again.

Obnoxious In-Laws: Katherine's father never approved of David, so arguments were frequent. It got to the point where Doogie volunteered on Thanksgiving in "Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down" just to get out of the house. Ultimately, Katherine's father has a Heel Realization after talking with Doogie.

Once a Season: Every season premiere, Doogie's birthday (September 21) is always tied into the episode's storyline.

Parting Words Regret: Averted with the father and son in "Doogenstein." Doogie's efforts prolong the former's life and the latter says they used that time to say a lot of things they previously put off.

Poster-Gallery Bedroom: Doogie has a Save The Humans poster on his bedroom door in season 3, as well as numerous posters of old movie stars such as James Dean and Marilyn Monroe.

He even had a motivational poster of Albert Einstein (which actually "came to life" and "talked" to him in one episode!).

Resigned to the Call: Doogie has to leave his birthday party in "Doogenstein" to help out at the hospital with a motorcycle accident. He admits privately that it bugs him to miss out on fun, but he feels it was worth it because he saved the patient's father (who had a heart attack while berating his son). Of course, later on, Doogie learns that the party continued without him rather than ended and that the patient's father died anyway. Doogie is all ready to quit, until the man's son thanks him for prolonging his dad's life for a few hours—saying they were able to talk and mend fences.

Ruptured Appendix: In "A Stitch Called Wanda," Doogie diagnoses his girlfriend, Wanda with appendicitis (via pelvic exam!), assists in the operation...and gets himself into a LOT of trouble.

Soundtrack Dissonance: In "Presumed Guilty," Vinnie ends up taking Dr. Howser's 1957 Chevy for a drive. He ends up crashing the car into a moving truck carrying a player piano, which smashes the front side, as it begins playing "Happy Days are Here Again".

Screaming Birth: Vinnie, trapped in an elevator with a teacher, assists her in giving birth. Good thing he's talked with Doogie about childbirth before.

Status Quo Is God: In fact, the writers tried to write a season where Doogie embarked upon a life-altering journey around Europe and found himself, eventually giving up medicine and become a writer. The final episode aired ended with Doogie and Vinnie leaving on a plane to Rome. ABC promptly cancelled the show—citing the show falling in ratings (from 35th in the rankings to 50th).

Unexpected Positive: During an episode, the senior Dr. Howser flashed back to a time when he was examining his son, who had asked him to demonstrate to him. Upon examining his abdomen, the boy yelped in pain, and the horrified Dr. Howser realized he'd just discovered that his son had leukemia.

Video Wills: Vinnie creates one for himself after Wanda's mother's sudden passing.

What the Hell, Hero?: Vinnie learns in "Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down" that Janine's parents don't like him and offered to buy her a car in exchange for dumping him. To make it worse, Janine actually considered it. Enraged, Vinnie crashes their Thanksgiving—condemning the parents for manipulating their daughter and Janine herself for being so flippant towards a relationship he deeply valued.

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